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FAQ

Questions about Giving

Q: How do I make a gift to Boston College?

A: A wide range of options exist for making a gift to Boston College. Please visit our Make a Gift page to learn more.

Q: Can I designate my gift to a specific part of Boston College?

A: Gifts to the Boston College Fund provide unrestricted support for BC; this permits the University to put funds to use wherever the need is greatest. This includes support for the core priorities of the University, such as student financial aid, faculty support, expanding knowledge and serving society, and the programs that support the BC experience and its mission as a Jesuit Catholic university. However, you are welcome to earmark your gift for any part of Boston College.

Q: In terms of taxes, what are the benefits of my gift to Boston College?

A: All gifts to Boston College are tax deductible; BC’s federal tax ID number is 04-2103545. In addition, gifts made as bequests or other forms of planned gifts can yield considerable tax benefits for donors. Please visit the Office of Gift Planning section of this site to learn more.

Questions about the Boston College Fund

Q: What is the BC Fund, and what does it support?

A: The BC Fund is Boston College's annual giving program, which provides the University with resources that can be used immediately to meet the University's most pressing needs and opportunities. Gifts to the Boston College Fund can impact many areas of the University, but have a critical impact on the University's core priorities: student financial aid, faculty support, expanding knowledge and serving society, and the programs that support the BC experience and its mission as a Jesuit Catholic University. Your gift to the BC Fund might, for example:

Help to recruit an outstanding teacher and scholar to our faculty

Provide financial aid to a deserving undergraduate or graduate student

Support a student volunteer service opportunity

Fund a research initiative

Support one of the many extracurricular and cultural activities available to our students

Boston College is clearly among the world's most successful universities. Having advanced to these new heights, we must rise to the challenge of providing our community of scholars with the tools they need to succeed. Your gift to the Boston College Fund ensures our success and allows us to deliver on the promise of "Ever to Excel."

Q: How can my single gift make a difference?

A: Every gift makes a difference, and the collective gifts of thousands of donors have an enormous impact on BC.

Gifts of $50, $100, $500 have allowed the University to increase financial aid awards, implement need blind admissions, replace beloved retiring faculty with some of the most promising young scholars in the academy, and expand volunteer and service opportunities for our students. Your gifts are hard at work every day at Boston College.

Q: What is the matching gift program?

A: If your employer offers a matching gift program you may be able to double your donation to Boston College; in some cases, employers match gifts by an even higher percentage. If your employer matches gifts, your human resources office will have more information, including the form to be submitted along with your gift. Please visit the matching gift section of this site to learn more.

Q: How can I obtain a copy of Boston College's Annual Report?

A: The annual report, published each October for the fiscal year that ends the preceding May, is available. If you would like a printed copy, please contact the Office of Marketing Communications.

Q: Doesn't tuition cover the cost of a BC education?

A: No. In fact, tuition only covers about "60%" of the full cost of a Boston College education – meaning that even those students paying the full price are not paying the full cost. Gifts to the BC Fund play a very important role in filling the gap.

Q: How about BC's endowment? Can't that help cover educational costs?

A: Boston College's endowment recently reached the $1.75 billion mark, thanks in large part to the many generous donors who in the past have created permanently endowed funds.

However, even this sum still leaves us at a significant disadvantage in relation to the schools with whom we are now directly competing for students – for example, according to the 2007 NACUBO Endowment study, the endowment per student at Notre Dame is $519,963, at Harvard $1,774,875 and at Tufts $156,861, while BC's endowment per student in 2007 was only $132,515.

General Questions

Q: How do I update my home/business address?

A: To update your home or business address, please login to the Online Community, click on My Information, and fill in the appropriate information. Please be aware that updates take 24-48 hours to be processed and will not display immediately. You can also e-mail your updated address to infoserv@bc.edu. Overseas residents should always e-mail their updated addresses to infoserv@bc.edu.

Q: How do I find classmates and friends?

A: The online directory, which is available through the Online Community, enables you to search for fellow alumni by name, class year, school, company name, and geographical location.

Q: How do I get athletic event information and buy ticket?

A: For sports news, ticket information, and game schedules, visit the BC Eagles website. All ticket sales are handled by the Boston College Ticket Office, which is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Ticket Office can be reached at 617-552-GoBC or athletic.tickets@bc.edu.

Q: How do I get a copy of my transcript?

A: You can request a copy of your transcript via the Boston College Agora Portal. You can also submit a Transcript Request Form (PDF) to the Office of Student Services in Lyons Hall. This form must be sent by mail or fax to the Office of Student Services. Mail signed transcript request forms to: Boston College, Office of Student Services, Attention: Transcripts, Lyons Hall, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. Fax signed transcript requests forms to: 617-552-4975.

Q: How do I find out about career services available to me as an alumnus/a?

A: Through the Online Community, you can access a career network of fellow alumni who have agreed to serve as mentors for alumni. You can also look for employment opportunities in a job database accessible exclusively to BC alumni. For a complete listing of career services available to alumni, please visit the Boston College Career Center Website.

Q: How do I find out about volunteer opportunities at BC?

A: The University Advancement Office provides a variety of ways for you to stay involved with and give back to your alma mater. You can volunteer to help plan your class' upcoming reunion, to join your class' reunion gift committee, to organize class-specific events on campus, to help plan events for fellow alumni in your region, or to serve as class notes correspondent in Boston College Magazine.

Q: How do I organize an event on campus or request a BC faculty member or administrator to visit my chapter?

A: The Alumni Relations Office serves as your liaison to campus resources. If you want to hold an event on campus for your class in conjunction with a sporting event or other University activity, please contact the classes team in the Alumni Relations Office. If you want to invite a BC faculty member or senior administrator to give a lecture to alumni in your region, please contact a member of our chapter team. The Alumni Relations Office is informed of the travel schedules of many University VIPs and will be happy to facilitate an event in your region.

Q: How do I inform the university of a classmate's passing?

A: Please contact the Alumni Relations Office at 617-552-4700 or alumni.comments@bc.edu. You may also mail a copy of the obituary to the Office of University Advancement, Alumni Center, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. If you would like to request that a Mass card be sent to a spouse or relative of the deceased, please contact the Service and Spirituality Office at 617-552-4700. You may also want to submit an update through our class notes form.

Obituaries are printed quarterly in Boston College Magazine. They are compiled from national listings and notices from family and friends of alumni.

Q: How do I access the BC libraries?

A: Currently, access is not available for alumni to the libraries' online databases, but walk-in users are always welcome.

Questions about the online BC Alumni Community

Q: I don't have a username/password. How do I log in?

A: If you do not have, or have forgotten your username or password, please register for the BC Alumni Community here. You will be asked to provide a current email address and your 10-digit constituent ID. You can either email alumni.records@bc.edu or call 617-552-3440 to get your 10-digit ID. Please note that our offices are open regular business hours, Monday—Friday, 9 a.m.—5 p.m. ET.

Please note that transcript requests and email forwarding can be accessed through the Boston College Agora Portal. You can retrieve your username and password for the Agora portal here.

Q: Who can see my personal information?

A: The privacy of your personal information is our top priority. Only you can access and update your personal profile, and only Boston College alumni can view the Alumni Directory information. Areas of the website containing private information are located on a separate, secure server that uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protection. Also, areas of the website contain private information can be accessed only by Boston College alumni and only via a password-protected login. Through your personal profile, you can limit what information appears to other alumni in the online directory.

Q: I don't want to be listed in the alumni directory. How do I opt out?

A: Click on the "Privacy Preferences" on your directory profile and follow the directions there.

Q: What is the difference between an e-mail account and lifetime forwarding e-mail?

A: Lifetime forwarding e-mail is not an e-mail account as it does not store messages for your review and reply. Rather, it forwards mail sent to your permanent (lifetime) alumni e-mail address to your current personal e-mail account. If your user ID with Boston College's alumni community is "smith" and you have a personal e-mail account with America Online listed as smith@aol.com then: smith@bc.edu (lifetime forwarding e-mail address) forwards mail to smith@aol.com (personal e-mail account).

Q: Why would I want an alumni e-mail forwarding address?

A: A lifetime forwarding e-mail address allows you to provide friends and family with one e-mail address for your lifetime. You can explain to everyone that no matter where you reside, no matter how many times you change jobs/ISPs or e-mail addresses, they will always be able to reach you at the lifetime account. As long as you update the Alumni Online Community in the E-mail for Life section with your current personal e-mail account address, your lifetime forwarding service will automatically send you any messages received through your lifetime account.

Q: Why can't I access my e-mail box?

A: The alumni online community provides a method to allow e-mail to be forwarded to your own personal e-mail address which is hosted through your own e-mail service provider, your place of employment, etc. The Boston College alumni site does not have individual mailboxes or e-mail service other than e-mail forwarding available for alumni use.